Plated heel inlay for full-fashioned hosiery



y 5, 1955 M. R. HAENSEL 2,712,227

PLATED HEEL INLAY FOR FULL-FASHIONED HOSIERY Filed July 5, 1952 25 M as 28 35 I II P76. 4, 5 Y 36 za 30 2a INVENTOR. M44 2. HAE/ sEL,

. 2,712,227 PLATED Hum; INLAY FOR FULL-FASHIONED HOSIERY Max R. Has use], Easton, Pa- Application July 3, 1952, Serial No. 297,137

5 Claims. (Cl. 66-182) The formation of high splice heels in colors different from those of the remaining portions of the stocking has heretofore been known. For example, those skilled in the art are conversant with the formation of picture frame heels, plated heels, and ornamental heel reinforcements.

However, heels formed in accordance with these .conventional practices differ from that to be described herein, inthat, with the possible exception of the plated heel, there is not produced a design within the heel. In this connection, the plated heel produces a monotonous design, it being one important object of the present invention to provide, by a novel method to be set forth hereinafter, clock-like, ornamental designs which can be varied as desired and which will thus avoid the: monotony of design which is characteristic of the conventionally plated heel.

It is proposed, in carrying out the inventive concept, to utilize a greater number of thread carriers than that which is ordinarily used, with the several carriers laying body yarn, plating yarns, and pattern yarns in a predetermined relationship and with additional carriers brought into use successively, as the knitting of the stocking progresses.

The stocking produced in accordance with the method summarized briefly above is characterized by the presence, within the heel, of an ornamental clock-like design of a different color which can be of any desired outer configuration, the design being outlined by the plated reinforcement of the heel and cooperating with the conventional reinforcing yarn of the heel to comprise, per se, a plated heel reinforcement.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a full-fashioned stocking knitted in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a face view of a full-fashioned stocking blank from which the stocking of Figure l is produced;

Figure 3 is a greatly enlarged, diagrammatic view of that portion of the stocking blank enclosed within the dotted line rectangle shown in Figure 2, and designated by the numeral 3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail view, enlarged still further, showing the high splice of the heel and illustrating the upper end portion of the design, this figure illustrating the relationship of the several yarns used, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of the hosiery blank 2,712,227 Patented July 5, 1955 which the respective yarn carshowing the zones through riers operate.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the welt 12, leg 14, instep and toe portions 16 of 'thestocking blank designatedv generally 10 are knitted from a body yarn 28 in a conventional manner with the use of a main or body yarn car- 'rier which operates throughout the entire width of the L of the heel, sole, or'toe fabric blank and from the welt 12 to the toe thereof.

. The yarn carrier carrying. the body yarn 28 follows a conventional pattern having conventional knee narrowings18, legnarrowings 20 and toe narrowings 22 and also outwardly extending portions 24 from which the sole of the stocking is fashioned. The main thread or yarn car-- rier operates across the full width of the stocking blank hereinafterdesignated as zone A.

As the yarn carrier carrying, the main or body yarn 28 reaches the top of the high splice 26, two carriers carrying. plating or reinforcing yarns 30 are brought into operation and operate in zones, B from-selected distances from the selvages outwardly thereto adjacent opposite sides of the stocking blankfor aselected number of courses. When the topsof the patterns 32. are reached, the operation of these carriers is'restricted to zones B which extend from the inner edges of the patterns inwardly therefrom for selected. distances. Simultaneously, with the restriction of the movements of the carriers operating in zones B to the zones B, four additional yarn carriers are brought into operation, one pair operating in vzones C to fashion preferably out ofcontrasting yarn 36, the ornamental patterns and the other pair. operating in zones D to fill out with plating yarn 38, preferably matching in color the body yarn, the areas of the; blank lying between the patterns and theouter selvages of the stocking blank.

In the preferred form of the invention the denier of the plating. and pattern yarnsare somewhat greater than that of the main or body yarn in order to strengthen and reinforce the stocking in its greatest areas of wear.

- In setting the pattern carriers, the machine operator will set the same in the'manner usually employed in setting customary clockwork-carriers, and in accordance with the invention, will utilizepointex attachments to produce the ornamental pattern. Y

Since pointex attachments are used to produce the ornamental, pattern, the pattern could not. be carried in the heel of a stocking beyond the course wherein the usual pointex steps begin. If the stocking is to be knitted without pointex steps along the edge of the heel portion 25, the ornamental pattern 32 can. be carried fully to the toe, and can be stopped and begun again any desired number of times, thus toproduce wide, variations in the patterns employed, according to the desires of thestocking designer.

If the ornamental design. is tobegin directly at the high splice 26, the machine operator, after stopping the main thread carrier at the high splice 26, would bring six additional carriers immediately into play.

It is also to be noted that the precise setting of the carriers would depend, of course, upon the width of the heel and upon the particular design desired.

Referring to Figure 4, it is, additionally, an important characteristic of the present invention that at no location Within the heel, sole, and toe fabric portions is there any more than one reinforcing yarn, in addition to the body yarn 28. In other words, the yarn used in producing the ornamental design itself serves to reinforce that part portion plated by the pattern yarn.

To my knowledge, there has not heretofore been suggested, in the art, a method for producing designs through the use of full-fashioned hosiery knitting machines, that will produce selected ornamental patterns, capable of being varied as desired, within the outline of the heel and spaced wholly from the edges of the heel,

with the yarn used in producing thepattern being inlaid within the customary reinforcing yarn and being completely surrounded by said reinforcing yarn, so as to represent a' continuation of thereinforcing yarn and thereby reinforce the heel in the regular manner. 7

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necess'arily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carryout said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

- As an example of one minor change that might be made in the construction, it is entirely possible that the pattern yarn might harmonize with the body yarn, rather than contrast therewith.

What is claimed is:

1. In a full-fashioned hosiery blank, a leg portion; an instep portion representing a continuation of the leg portion; reinforced portions at opposite-sides of the instep portion, said leg, instep and reinforced portions all being knitted from a body yarn extending continuously through the full width of the blank, said reinforced portions including reinforcing yarn plated with the body yarn; and ornamental design portions within the reinforcing portions and formed from pattern yarn contrasting with the reinforcing yarn, said reinforcing yarn terminating at the edges of said design portions and said pattern yarn being plated with the body yarn and extending therewith through the design portions.'

2. In a full-fashioned hosiery blank, a leg portion; an instep portion representing a continuation of the leg portion; reinforced portions at opposite sidesof the instep portions; and design portions enclosed within the reinforcing portions and spaced inwardly from the inner and outer selvages of saidreinforced portions, the leg, instep, reinforced, and design portions all being knitted from a basic body yarn extending continuously through the full width of the hosiery blank, said reinforced portions additionally including reinforcing yarn plated with the body yarn, and said design portions being formed from pattern yarn contrasting in color with the color of the reinforcing yarn, said reinforcing yarn terminating at the several edges of said design portions, the pattern yarn being plated with the body yarn within the design portions.

' 3. In a full-fashioned hosiery blank, a leg portion; an instep portion representing a continuation of the leg portion; reinforced heel portions at opposite sides of the instep portion; and design portions enclosed within the heel portions in the high splice areas thereof and spaced inwardly from the inner and outer ,selvages of said reinforced portions, the leg, instep, heel, and design portions all being composed of a basic, knitted, body yarn extending continuously through the full width of the hosiery blank, said heel portions additionally having reinforcing yarn plated with the body yarn and said design portions being composed of pattern yarn contrasting in color with that of:the reinforcing yarn, said reinforcing yarn terminating at the several edges of said design portions, the pattern yarn being plated with the body yarn within the confines of the design portions.

4. In a full-fashioned hosiery blank, a leg portion; an instep portion representing a continuation of the leg portion; reinforced heel portions atopposite sides of the instep portion; and design portions enclosed within the heel portions in the high splice areas thereof and spaced inwardly from the inner and outer selvages of said reinforced portions, the leg, instep, heel, and design portions all being composed of a basic, knitted, body yarn extending continuously through the full width of thehosiery blank, said heel portions additionally having reinforcing yarn plated with the body yarn and said design portions being composed of pattern yarn contrasting in color with that of the reinforcing yarn, said reinforcing yarn terminating at the several edges of said design portions, the pattern yarn being plated with the body yarn within the confines of the design portions to form a reinforcement of the blank, the pattern and re in forcing yarns being of the same denier and said denier of the pattern and reinforcing yarns being greater than that of the body yarn; I

5. In a full-fashioned hosiery blank, a leg portion; an

instep portion representing a continuation of the leg portion; reinforced portions at opposite sides of the instep portion, said leg, instep and reinforced portions all beingknitted from body yarn extending continuously through the full width of the blank, said reinforced portions' additio'nally including reinforcing yarn plated with the body yarn; and ornamental design portions within the reinforcing portions and formed from pattern yarn, said reinforcing yarn terminating at the edges of said design portions-and said pattern yarn being plated with the body yarn and extending therewith through the design portions to define reinforcements of the blank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,793,581

Corah Feb. 24, 1931 2,002,888 Gastrich' May 28,195

2,015,002 Coller Sept. 17, 1935 2,305,218 Hemmerich Dec, 15, 1942 2,625,028 Wilson Ian. 13, 1953 2,664,726

Lihn Jan. 5, 1954 

